1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communications system, and more particularly to a system and method for operating a terminal in at least two communication modes.
2. Background of the Related Art
A variety of ways may be used to call parties in remote areas. One way is to use wired phones connected to PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) and another way is to use VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) phones connected to a network such as the Internet. Because in recent times the number of users of Internet services has increased and higher data-transmission-rates over the internet are now required, applications such as Internet phones, Internet faxes, and Internet broadcastings are in greater demand.
In the case of long distance and international calls especially, Internet phones have proven to have an advantage in terms of providing very cost-effective services compared with conventional wired-phones used over PSTN. As a result, many companies have turned their attention towards developing the Internet phone business. These companies include personal computer network business firms, Internet service providers, and telephone companies.
Conventional Internet phone service has at least one drawback. This service is not capable of placing calls without using personal computers having modems. For example, conventional Internet phones are only able to place calls using a deployed network located between PCs having built-in modems in which computer-to-telephone connections exist or between telephones having connections to computers. The dependency of conventional Internet phone service on the use of computer modems places a limitation on where this service may be used, i.e., this service may only be used in areas where computer modems are located. This results in low scalability of network systems.
In order to overcome this drawback and to promote anytime/anywhere phone service at low cost, next-generation Internet phones should be introduced with high data rate capabilities. These phones should also be able to simultaneously access both PSTN networks and Internet, which is desirable for the scalabilities over the current deployed network systems. The simultaneous access of these networks has not previously been contemplated and therefore a need exists for such a system, method, and terminal which operates in this manner.